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Sunday, October 07, 2012

I had yet another privileged opportunity because of GuidingUK yesterday. The BigGig is just that, a huge concert put on just for members aged 10 and over. Our fantastic District Commissioner, despite not being a Guide or Ranger Guider, organised for a coach from our district to go to Sheffield. I was very happy to go along as an extra leader. With a headcount of 1 to 5 it's easy peazy lemon squeezy and I get to have fun too.

Although I realised on arrival I was seriously under dressed. Note to self: next year buy tutu and wig.

I decided to leave the squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeling Guides at the end of JLS and nip to the loo.

And this shows how much the girls were enjoying the show, 12,000 girls in the venue and all stalls empty!

I was impressed that everyone on stage seemed to grab the Guiding ethos with both hands. There were no over or under the top clothes, no inappropriate dancing, just talented people doing what they are good at without any level of sexualisation whatsoever. Amelia Lily did come out.....as an ex-Guide.

Little Mix were great role models and the screaming Guides showed their appreciation very loudly.

This was a really easy night for me, literally on the bus, off the bus, short walk to the venue, no queueing, straight in, and the older girls were free to roam to the loos, drinks stall in groups. We did the usual: allocate girls to individual leaders for regular head counting, wrist labelled them with an emergency phone number for them to ring if they got lost. But this really felt like a safe space, full of Guiders, Guides and no others. There was no stress, just dancing, singing, shouting, screaming, laughing, happy Guides and a lot of older bemused Guiders!

I know that this was the first experience of a concert for a lot of the Guides we took including COG. And what an exhilarating experience, what a great unintimidating way to give them confidence to want to do it again.

I had a slight wobble as we were leaving when one of my 'head count' dashed off with another of our Leaders, I wasn't squeezing my peazy lemon at that point. But a few swift text messages between leaders to our Guider in Charge and we knew exactly where all our girls were and we were all on the coach within 15 minutes of the concert finishing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are really lucky to have some wonderful commissioners at the moment who are prepared to go the extra mile to make sure the girls in our area get to go to these opportunities. If you are thinking about going next year DO IT. Your Girls will remember it forever and you will have a ball too.